WRITTEN BY: Matthew Alvarez

In a way, we got the best of both worlds with GO:OD AM. As much as Mac Miller has matured since K.I.D.S., especially in this album, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia; somewhere between the psychedelic void and that free spirit we all once sought for in Mac’s early days. It’s an evolution of Mac’s style, not revolution. If you’ve been sleeping on Mac Miller all this time, it’s a good time to set your alarm to GO:OD AM.

The biggest change you’ll find in GO:OD AM is the sound. With more traditional hip-hop beats found commonly underneath most of the songs, you can rest easy knowing Mac doesn’t sacrifice all of his niche of slow and chill out lyrics. Interludes and leisurely verses are still very much present, which is great because it’s his trademark at this point, but we get to see a more intense style of rap that hasn’t been present in Mac for a while. It’s a nice change, and the pumped up energy exhibited across the album is great to hear. Mac presents less melancholy, more a transition to better times.

As always, you can expect some very original beats from Mac, like the Tyler The Creator produced “Doors” which has to be some type of very obvious metaphor because it sets the tone of the album so perfectly. The lead single “100 Grandkids” is an ode to classic Mac Miller, and that alternative style follows throughout the first half of the album. Somewhere around “Perfect Circle/God Speed,” the album slows down, which isn’t a bad thing. If the first half of the album is a pumped up sequel to Faces, then the latter part of the album is a continuation of Watching Movies with the Sound Off. Songs like “Brand Name” and “When In Rome” (which sound completely different, one more reminiscent of Mac’s old sound while the other shows off Mac’s trap side) offers you a great jam. Songs like “Weekend” and “Jump” give the alternative vibe of the album, but are more inspirational this time around.

It’s hard to compare such a diverse discography such as Mac’s, but the perfect sense of pace within this album gives me a little taste of every part of his complex flavor. Ultimately, GO:OD AM is a matured and well-earned piece of its own, a project that is separate from each of his others works. But to those who have followed Mac Miller since his early days, there is something so familiar yet thirst quenching that makes this album stick together.